Francis e



F. E. BENTON. LAST.

(No Model.)

Patented Apr. 3, 189-4.

Inventor". 3mm; [2. zmzzw WilnesseS.

/9 J27. aawig UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS E. BENTON, OF STOUGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LAST.

/ I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 517,424, dated April 3, 1894.

Application filed June 8, 1893. Serial No. 476,908. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS E. BENTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stoughton, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boot or Shoe Lasts; and I do declare the following. to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The special object of the invention is to make some device by which the instep section of a last may besimply and conveniently locked to the body thereof and, when desired,

quickly unlocked as well as removed there from.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a vertical 10ngitudinal section of a last, showing my fastener in connection with the two sections of the last; Fig. 2 a detail perspective view of the upper section of my fastener, and Fig. 3 a detail perspective view of the bottom section and the spring which goes into it.

In the drawings, A represents the instep and B the body section of a shoe or boot last; 0 the upper section of my fastener, D the lower section, and E the spring catch. The last section Ais provided with a longitudinal groove 0., in theend a-' of which is seated my upper section 0 Whose shank o is driven into the wood for that purpose. On the front end of section 0, I form an end hook c which is beveled in front to press on and slip easily over the transverse projection e' on the front end of the spring catch E. The latter is beveled on both sides so that the hook a may be moved freely in both directions over it. In

order to put section A on the section B and lock it securely, it receives a rear pressure at o. and to unlock as well as remove it, a front pressure is given at a so as to depress the spring. It will be observed that the spring E ismade ofplate or sheet steel and the rear end made fast by bolt or rivet in the bottom of the Widest part of the tapering groove d, while the part D has also a screwshank d whichworks into a nut embedded in the body B. I may however merely have an endsharpened driveshank which will answer as well. The groove a of the last section A is necessary to enable the section A to be slid on or 01f the section B.

a is the hook-hole by which section A is drawn out when the last is in the shoe.

I am aware that United States Patent No. 203,7 64 was granted to one Paul May 14, 1878, for a last lock-spring but his fastener works differently from mine. He uses two locks while I use but one, but the difference between his springlock and mine is that his spring is on the slide and projects beyond it while mine is on the fixed guide-piece between the flanges so that when the slide is pushed to its place, my spring fills the space between the guide flanges so as to prevent all chance of lateral or longitudinal displacement.

What I claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-

A last block fastener comprising members 0 and D, each having means of attachment to the last block and last, respectively, and a sliding dovetail connection with each other, the member 0 having a hook o and the member D a corrugated spring latch engaging therewith substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature in presence of two witnesses. I

FRANCIS E. BENTON.

Witnesses:

' EUGENE H. MOORE,

CHARLES LA FARGE. 

